Snacks are an important part of how I'm able to stick with the South Beach way of eating, so I thought I'd tell you my favorites for those who need some ideas. I would have posted this earlier in the month, but for weeks Costco hasn't had snow peas. Waah, no snow peas. They're finally back in stock, and heading the list of my favorite snacks.

This is the last day of South Beach Diet Phase One for a Month, so you might be wondering, are all these snacks approved for Phase one? I'd eat everything here for any phase, but if you can't find the low carb/low sugar like the type I show here, I'd save yogurt for phase two. So here they are, the foods that keep me going when I need a little something for a snack.

Sugar Snap peas (which I often mistakenly call snow peas, but they really are different) are great to eat plain, or with some kind of veggie dip. When you haven't had sugar for a while, these taste like candy!

Nuts are one of my favorite South Beach snacks. The books say to count them out, but I say who has time to count nuts? I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and measure them out into little baggies. (Please don't report me to the South Beach Diet police, but this is the snack I'm most likely to eat too much of.)

I love sweet mini-peppers like this, which come in red, yellow, or orange. I eat these plain, or you can cut them in half lengthwise and use as a scoop for veggie dip.

Yogurt can be a great snack, but only eat it for phase one if you can find this type of low fat, low carb, low sugar yogurt. Some stores by my house don't carry either of these. The large container is my favorite kind of yogurt, and only has 4 carbs per container. The other type is made by Dannon and has only 3 carbs, but it's a teensy serving.

Edamame is one of my favorites, and I buy the frozen pre-cooked edamame at Costco (are you sensing the Costco theme here?) I just put a handful in a baggie and take them to school and by afternoon they're thawed and ready to eat.

Who imagined I'd be recommending Jello, since I was never a fan (even though it's the official Utah State Snack,) but you'd be amazed how delicious sugar-free jello can taste when you're not eating sugar. The tropical flavors are my favorite.

I love Ranch dip, just the Hidden Valley Ranch kind you make with a packaged mix and sour cream, and I eat this all the time with celery. What could be healthier? (I use light sour cream; don't use fat free sour cream for South Beach since it has sugar.)

Another snack I love is cheese. Buying these pre-packaged cheese is a good way to exercise portion control, and again I get these at Costco in big packages. String cheese is the lowest fat for South Beach, but the ones in the back, called Sticksters, are also pretty good.

If you can find peanut butter without added sugar or one of the new low carb peanut butters, celery stuffed with peanut butter is a great South Beach Diet snack. (Some low carb peanut butters have trans fat, and personally I would avoid those types. I buy natural peanut butter with no sugar added. I like the chunky peanut butter for this!)

Finally, a snack that's seasonal for many people, but again thanks for Costco! I splurge all winter on tomatoes (but only if they smell like tomatoes, otherwise don't waste your money.) Cut-up tomatoes with my favorite rosemary salt is about as good as it gets for a snack.

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You are right, Kalyn, about the snow peas — if you've been off sweets for a while such things are incredible. I never thought of eating them for a snack, but it's a good idea to quench that need for sugar.

I just started South Beach. I read in the book to avoid all dairy, including yogurt. I only buy the StoneyField brand - either low-fat or fat-free, which are not made with any sugar (only natural sugars). In addition, I typically buy the fruit on the bottom yogurts. Is it ok to eat this on South Beach, Phase One? What about Phase Two?

Leah, I'm looking in the original South Beach Diet book for "foods to avoid" for phase one and this is what it says:

Dairy:Avoid the following dairy in phase one:yogurt, cup-style and frozenice creammilk, whole or 2%milk, soy

I'm not sure what they mean by "cup-style" yogurt, but I think it means the type with add-ins. Fruit on the bottom yogurt wouldn't be allowed for phase one, since you can't have fruit. I thinkt he kind of low carb, sugar free, low fat yogurt that I'm showing here is fine for any phase. (This is only my opinion, but I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't be ok.)

Ok, you are brilliant. Frozen edamame that you put into a bag in the morning and it thaws by itself! I love edamame so much, but I somehow have this weird aversion to boiling it myself, so I always just get it as takeout from my favorite sushi restuarant. But you can't get any easier than your way of eating it. Thanks!!!

I love your blog. I started the SBC again today. Last time I did it I lost about 25 lbs. However, I let them slide back on. I have loved reading over your blog. Thanks for the great snack tips. I am looking to losing about 15 to 20 lbs. by beach time. Thanks for your inspiring story!

I just started SB and there's just one thing that's totally confusing...in the book it says Phase I - Avoid - Fat Free Half and Half...then as I read further down it says Fat Free Half and Half is allowed. I am totally confused. I use 2 TBS of FF Half and Half in my morning coffee..is FF Half & Half OK for Phase One???I'd really appreciate it if you had the answer. Thanks very much!

Rosemary, I don't use fat free half and half or any other fat free products because they usually have added sugar. (I actually use real half and half in coffee, although I'm not sure it's 100% SB approved. I figure a few tablespoons a day won't hurt me.) If you're wondering about the product you have I'd look at the sugar grams on the label.

I'm at school but when I get home I'll try to remember to look in the latest SB book. Feel free to leave another comment if I forget to reply back about that.

Rosemary, the latest book (The South Beach Diet Supercharged) lists Half and Half, fat free for phase one under "foods to enjoy." Serving size says 2 T.

I'm probably the one who's being bad with full fat half and half in my coffee, but I don't drink a lot of coffee so I'm still not that worried about it. (I should clarify that I'm actually oh phase three most of the time!)

OMG! I just started South Beaching and I forgot that up until now, my old childhood absolute FAVOURITE which was celery with peanut butter, had been "off limits" because of the fattiness of the peanut butter.THANK YOU THANK YOU! I can't wait to go out and get a jar. :)

Starting SB today! Googled snack ideas and your blog came right up as 2nd on the list. Thank you so much for this post! One question... if I am label checking things I currently have in my pantry and fridge, is there a rule of thumb on how many carbs to consider as ok to eat in Phase 1 vs Phase 2? Thanks! Leah A.

Anonymous, I'm looking in South Beach Diet Supercharged (newest book) which is a bit more liberal than some of the earliest books and under phase 2 - Dairy it says 2-3 cups per day including yogurt. Peanut butter is limited to 2 T per day (and personally I would not eat other nuts on the day you have peanut butter.

Leah, your e-mail was farther down in the list, so sorry if it looks like I ignored your question! I've only seen this addressed with regards to things like salad dressing where the rule is less than 3 grams of carbs per serving. It depends on how much of the food you're eating (you can have higher carb counts in something where you only use a small amount), but I think that's a good rule of thumb.

I've done south beach successfully (losing 60 lbs in 3 months) a few years back and now I'm revisiting it with my boyfriend.

Just a heads up...Sugar snap PEAS were banned the last time i read the book because of the starch in the peas that are in those crunchy pods.

Also, low sugar doesn't cut it for phase 1, so even if you find the yogurts listed above... if your really serious about weight loss and following the plan... you should not be eating these yogurts in phase 1. They are great for phase 2, so save them for then.Remember fruit is not allowed, and even no sugar added yogurts still have the sugars from the fruits in there.

Thanks Kalyn for your help! I have been waiting for a new router in the mail which arrived today, so I was unable to check your blog again until now! Day 5 and I've lost 4 pounds already! I went out to buy Natural PB last night (Skippy), but I'm not sure it is SBD approved, when I compared to the regular Skippy in the pantry it all looked the same except for the oils. Is there a list of approved packaged foods published online somewhere? I guess I could google it and see what comes up! lol Thanks again for your help! Leah A.

Leah, if you can find it, I like Adams brand natural peanut butter, only 1 gram of sugar. The fat in peanut butter is not a problem, since it's "good fat" but you want the least amount of sugar you can find.

Luv ur comment: (Please don't report me to the South Beach Diet police, but this is the snack I'm most likely to eat too much of.) - Years ago, when I was doing Scarsdale, my kids used to say "Mommy, the man on the back of the book is watching you!" After trying the diet, my husband said "I understand why his wife killed him!." Anyway, SBD is a lot easier!

I just started SB on Sunday. Today is my 3rd day. I figured by the third day I would start to feel something since in phase one you can lose 8-13 pounds!!! I dont feel like Im losing at all!! When is weight loss noticable?

The book doesn't give serving sizes for cheese, but when I'm doing phase one for a snack I usually eat the 1 oz. string cheese. I think you could eat a bit more than that if you really want to, but cheese is pretty calorie dense so I wouldn't overdo it.

im starting South Beach Diet today! and excited to start! What is something good to have for breakfast? are we allowed to have eggs? egg whites? with coffee can we use splenda? besides water what can of drinks can we drink? anything with no sugars? thank you

Hi Kalyn! Your blog is amazing. I have been making your recipes for months now and have yet to find one that isn't delicious. I am starting on Phase 1 again to lose the last 15 pounds after a 45 pound loss a few years ago. My 17 year-old son wants to lose weight as well, but wants me to make more kid-friendly recipes. Any suggestions?

Suzanne, glad to hear the blog has been helpful. If you type "kid friendly" into the search bar, you'll find the recipes I've mentioned that I think are kid-friendly, plus a few that people have commented on as being kid-friendly.

Hey, I want to add to the yogurt discussion - If you take nonfat plain yogurt and add a teaspoon or so of peanut butter and mix it in it can taste really sweet. Maybe everybody will think this is weird but I like it. Also, plain, non-fat yogurt with a spoonful of unsweetened cocoa, a little vanilla and a little splenda or stevia (don't overdo on this as will go bitter) can be great too.

hey thanks guys alot for all the ideas. I just found something myself. I just started SBD myself and am finding it very challenging since I am a sugar-addict. I am craving brownies so bad. Is it okay to eat my one serving of sugar-free peanut butter with a half teaspoon of cocoa and a sprinkle of splenda?

Thanks for all the great snack reminders! I also want to add to the yogurt discussion - I absolutely CANNOT do eggs very often and when I do I make deviled eggs. My favorite breakfast now is some plain, nonfat yogurt with a packet of sweetner, a few sliced almonds, and a sprinkle of crystal light powder (wild strawberry is my fav!). It will taste just like fruited yogurt and the crunch from the almonds is quite satisfying!

Oh my gosh! I always forget about celery and peanut butter! Seriously one of the yummiest snacks and it totally takes care of my sugar fix. Thanks for the recommendation on chunky. I prefer creamy, except for with CELERY!!!

Hi! I just came across your blog and love the tips..Question do the yogurts you eat have artificial sweeteners in them? I'd love to find low calorie foods that don't contain these chemicals (I get instant headaches and bloating along with nausea) but can't seem to find anything...If you can suggest something that you came across that would be great! Thanks!

Yes, the yogurt I show here does have artificial sweetener. If I wanted to avoid artificual sweetener in yogurt, I'd use Madhava blueberry or raspberry flavored agave nectar. I think that would taste great mixed into yogurt, and it's a natural product. It's not sugar free, but it does have a much lower glycemic index than white sugar.

Thanks so much for the snack suggestions....it is night and that is when I tend to go to the "ito" food...i will try the celery/pb snack you suggested.btw, I believe Crystal Light as aspartame so I won't be using it.

As for Crystal Light, I believe strongly that everyone should make their own decisions about what to eat/not eat. So if you don't want aspartame, don't drink Crystal Light, but let others make their own decision about it as well.

Thank you so much for this!! I just started South Beach and I'm in college with a meal plan so my options are extremely limited but these are all super easy to get my hands on in our dining hall. Hopefully I'll be able to get past the first day this time. :)

I love plain yogurt with a stevia packet in it! Sweetens it perfectly! I'm very glad I found your blog, it's wonderful! Thank you!!! And I love how prompt you are at replying to everyone, I've never experienced such tentativeness on a blog, ever! :0)

Courtney, I think the plain yogurt with Stevia sounds good. And I haven't been that attentive today. Sorry I have been a little slow to respond; I'm cleaning out my dad's house with my siblings today and for the next couple of days so I'm pretty distracted from the blog.

We tried the cannon plain sugar free yogurt and put a tsp of sugar free suckers jellyIt is incred!Also. Suckers crunchy natural sugar free PB, once stirred great and kept in the refrigerator is phenomW all this, we are not having issues at all. It's our first time on sBeach

I've found several greek-style yogurts that are no sugar, nonfat. Add a little agave and some vanilla and it makes for a nice snack in phase I. I know agave hasn't been decided, but I don't use artificial sweetners, so mainly avoid the sweets all together. Craving is diminishing and so is the weight.

This is my second try on South Beach and I learned a lot the first time around. Like not having ice cream was ultimately my down fall!! This time, I've done a lot of research but can't find an answer to this question. Maybe someone can help me!

My local grocery store (Publix) sells low fat no sugar added icecream that is sweetened with Splenda. It does say it has 6 grams of sugar (4 grams of sugar alcohol) per 1/2 cup serving but even after googling the ingredients, the only "sugar" is splenda. Is this ok to eat a 1/2 cup serving at night? If I can eat this, I might make it all the way through this time. =)

Carlisha, I can't say for sure, but all the books allow no sugar added fudgesicles for phase one, which I'm thinking would be similar to low-fat sugar-free ice cream. I noticed that the lastest book (South Beach Diet Supercharged) says limit sweet treats to 75-100 calories per day, so that might help.

Kalyn, I love your site! I have yet to try a recipe that isn't delicious!

I have just started Phase 2, and am looking for a good yogurt option - so many of the flavored yogurts are sweetened with sugar. I don't have a Kroger nearby to get the CarbMaster. Is there another brand of yogurt that you know of that would be okay on Phase 2? I do have a Costco nearby, Shaw's, and Hannaford's. Thanks!

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